BLEGH
Today was a sucky walk. It started out okay, but by mile three it had started to rain. Fortunately, I’d brought my raincoat and my little backpack rain shield thingy, so after stopping to equip both of those, I kept walking.
It rained.
The whole.
Time.
FIFTEEN out of my eighteen miles were in the rain.
By the end I was completely soaking wet (despite the raincoat) and VERY cold.
Then I had to go home and give a review for the stats test this coming week.
I’m so ready for this semester to be over.
Mileage Update:
I’m at (approximately) 4,500 miles for the year! At this pace, I’ll hit 5,000 miles way earlier than I usually do and may have a chance at 6,000.
CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP
10,000
A’IGHT, BITCHES, GUESS WHAT?
(Aggressively typing because I’m excited)
I just finished a pair of shoes the other day, so I logged all the miles I’ve walked on that pair into my little spreadsheet that contains my yearly distances. Observe a piece of this:
My yearly total mileage right now (or at the end of this pair of shoes) is 3933.83.
If I want to hit 10,000 kilometers for the year (6213.712 miles), I’ll need to walk/run another 2279.885 miles in the remaining 137 days of the year.
That’s an average of 16.6415 miles a day OR an average of 116.4905 miles per week (since I don’t walk/run the same distance every day).
I’ve been averaging about 130 miles a week recently.
SO. If I’m able to keep up that pace (or even a little bit less) per week, I should hit my goal of walking/running 10,000 kilometers this year!
That makes me super happy, yo. I didn’t know if it would even be possible.
But now I HAVE to do it.
It’s LEIBNIZ DAY!
As always, the best day of the year.
Take a moment to pause and reflect on the greatness that was Gottfried Leibniz!
On a completely unrelated note, it’s the halfway point of the year, so let’s check my mileage, shall we?
*looks at spreadsheet*
I’m at 3,085.98, which means that if I keep the same pace as the first half of the year, I’ll get to 6,000 miles by the end of December!
However, I am NOT currently on pace for 10,000 kilometers, so that might be a goal for another year.
I guess we’ll see.
It’s a bold move, Cotton…
As you probably know, I am all about trying to break my own records for things.
This includes my yearly walking/running miles.
Last year I hit my furthest distance of 5,555.55. So this year, of course, I’d like to beat that.
And I don’t know if it’ll be possible, but I’d love to hit 6,000 miles for the year. Hell, 6,200 miles is even better, as that’s (approximately) 10,000 kilometers, which is a nice round number for a goal.
*does calculations*
Okay, 6,000 MIGHT be possible, but I’d really have to push the mileage quite a bit, especially on my weekend long runs. I don’t know if I can do 6,200, though, unfortunately.
Maybe next year?
ACCUMULATE
So here’s that “running total” graph animation that I’ve been doing for the past few years showing my cumulative walking/running miles. Now updated for 2022!
It wasn’t even a contest last year. 2022 was up top like 99% of the time. Hell, 2022’s total surpassed 2015’s END OF THE YEAR total on June 16.
Let’s see what this year does!
OH LAWD, SHE WALKIN’
(Sorry.)
Guess what time of the year it is?
If you guessed Easter, you’re an IDIOT!
If you guessed “the start of the year, which means Claudia’s going to inundate us with a bunch of walking stats that no one cares about,” you’re RIGHT!
LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Here are my walking stats for January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.
Total number of walks: 365
Total mileage: 5,555.55
Total number of steps: 11,912,482
Total calories burned: 418,221
Total walking time (minutes): 80,253.19 [that’s about 55.73 days]
Average speed (mph) per walk: 3.72
5,555.55 miles is approximately the great circle distance between Fresno, California and Paris, France or between Toronto, Canada and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Also, this is a new mileage record. Let’s demolish it next year!
5,000 Miles for 2022
I hit 5,000 walking/running miles for the year today!
I’m too lazy to check, but I’m pretty sure this is the earliest I’ve hit that milestone in a year. I think it’s happened in December the last few times I’ve hit it.
So that’s cool.
That’s all, haha.
Suck It, 2015-2020
Remember that “running total” graph I made for my yearly walking mileages? I did one last year and the year before, both showing running total for each year from 2015 up to the current year.
I love repeating my content, so here it is again – now including the running total for 2021.
[Edit: okay, so apparently old versions of this graphic just automatically update with the most recent data I’ve fed it, which is why 2022’s mileage is in there. Just…ignore that for now.]
My cumulative mileage in 2020 was higher than that in 2021 on January 7, but then 2021 dominated until 2017 took over a little while in July (because of my 30-mile days and that one 50-mile day). Then it was 2021 again.
Can I beat 2021’s running total this year? I GUESS WE’LL SEE LOL THERE’S GOT TO BE AN UPPER LIMIT TO THIS NONSENSE BUT I HAVEN’T HIT IT YET
Walk da Walk 2021
Are you ready for walking stats that NO ONE CARES ABOUT??????
Me too!
Here are my walking stats for January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.
Total number of walks: 363 (I didn’t walk/run on the day Jazzy died and I didn’t walk/run on the day I thought I had COVID.)
Total mileage: 5,315
Total number of steps: 11,604,343
Total calories burned: 382,492
Total walking time (minutes): 78,890.32 [that’s about 54.78 days]
Average speed (mph) per walk: 3.71
5,315 miles is approximately the great circle distance between Portland, Oregon to Moscow, Russia or between Lisbon, Portugal and Cape Town, South Africa.
Let’s do better next year!
5,000 Miles – 2021 Edition
Today I hit FIVE THOUSAND WALKING/RUNNING miles for the year!
I guess it’s not that big of an accomplishment since I’ve done it twice before, but there it is.
Actually, I think I hit 5,000 earlier this year than I did last year and in 2017. Let’s check…
2017: my 5,000th mile happened on December 22
2020: my 5,000th mile happened on December 20
So that’s kinda cool.
Anyway.
Sigh…
CNN.
Like, I get it. Some people need that “bare minimum” number to strive for due to whatever circumstances they’re dealing with. But should we really be lowering the bar from the “standard” 10,000 daily steps? People are way too inactive as is. I think anything we can do to encourage more activity is great, even if it means sticking with a somewhat arbitrary value that’s a bit higher than what some research is showing as the bare minimum to get health benefits.
Sorry, I just saw this article today and my mind immediately contrasted it with the “vigorous exercise” article a while back, even though walking and vigorous exercise are different things.
Press X to Doubt
So Garmin has these little online challenge thingies that you can do through its app where you’re competing with other people for things like highest monthly step count, most monthly running miles, most miles cycled in a given amount of time, etc. Every once and a while I get in a challenge where someone gets accused of cheating and faking their data.
This week, that someone was me.
So a few things.
1) It should go without saying, but I do not fake my data. Anyone who knows me knows that my walking/running/steps are legit. I’m just putting that out there.
2) There are almost definitely people who fake their data in one way or another. It’s inevitable on something like this (even though the only real “reward” you get from winning these challenges is bragging rights I guess?). However, everyone else I’ve ever seen accused of cheating does not share their individual activities – only their totals (miles, steps, whatev). I share my activities. You can see every walk and run I log and you can even look at the map and see exactly where I went. That would be hard to fake unless I was giving someone else my Garmin and having them do the miles for me.
3) The amount of effort that would be required to fake this data is just not worth it, especially for as long as I’ve had my Garmin (fall 2018 I think?). It’s probably less effort to just do the actual steps, honestly.
I mean, I guess I could be flattered by the fact that people think I’m faking the amount of steps I’m taking, but it’s more annoying than anything.
Anyway.
WALK, FORREST, WALK!
So remember back on June 1st when I made that running total dynamic bar thing that compared how my yearly mileage totals accumulated for each year I’ve lived in Calgary? (This thing?)
Well, I updated it to include 2020 now.
I didn’t even really consider trying to beat 2017’s mileage until about half way through the year. Then it was a push to make it happen – which it did at the very start of November.
Kinda cool!
Walking 2020
Happy New Year!
As always, January 1st is dedicated to reviewing last year’s walking mileage. So let’s get to it! But before we do, a quick disclaimer: I am including my running mileage in all of these totals, too, but I’m just going to refer to everything as walking mileage because it’s easier.
K? K.
ONWARD!
Here are my walking stats for January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
Total number of walks: 347
Total mileage: 5,160
Total number of steps: 11,687,919
Total calories burned: 355,903
Total walking time (minutes): 78,727.87 [that’s about 54.67 days]
Average speed (mph) per walk: 3.80
5,160 miles is approximately the great circle distance between Juneau, AK and Barcelona, Spain or between Naples, Italy and Cape Town, South Africa.
And for anyone who’s keeping track (probably no one), yes, this is a new yearly mileage record. I beat 2017’s record of 5,100 by 60 miles, which isn’t a fantastic jump in distance or anything, but it is a new record.
So yay!
SUCK IT, DOUBTERS
I just surpassed 5,000 walking miles for the year, and I did it one day sooner than I did in 2007, the last (and only) time I hit 5,000 walking miles.
So for everyone who didn’t think I could do it again, take THAT!
I’m also going to likely beat 2007’s total mileage of 5,100, too.
Ha.
Walkie Talkie
Hey NERDS, so up until this point, I’ve walked 4,585.06 miles. At this same time in 2017 (my record walking year), I’d walked 4,573.77 miles. So that means (unless I royally screw up) I’m on pace to beat 2017’s distance of 5,100 miles.
YESSSSSSSSSSS.
(I live for this crap, sorry.)
Around the World in 2,206 Days
Today, I hit a huge walking milestone: since my first walk in Calgary on September 8, 2014, I have now walked a total of 24,901.46 miles. That is equivalent to the circumference of the earth at the equator!
As always, here are some stats:
- Total number of walks: 1,938
- Total steps: 56,171,859
- Total time spent walking: 383,048.87 minutes, or 6,384.15 hours, or 266.00 days
- Average walking distance (when averaged across the 1,938 walks): 12.849 miles
- Average walking distance (if I had spaced out the distance over every single day): 11.29 miles
So that’s pretty cool, eh?
Boxplot of walk distances by year:
Boxplot of walk distances by month:
Boxplot of walk distances by day of the week:
(As if anyone cares)
Let’s start another trip around the world tomorrow!
ALRIGHT BITCHES, let’s do a little math.
So I want to try to get another 5,000+ miles this year, because nobody thinks I can do it.
I shall do it.
2017 was the year of exactly 5,100 miles, so let’s compare this year’s pace with 2017’s pace to see what I’d need to do to get to at least 5,000 miles this year.
Through August 15, 2017, I had gone 3,298.9 miles in the year (I was also like a week out from that stupid knee/leg injury thing that slowed me down so much but DID NOT PREVENT ME FROM REACHING MY MILEAGE GOAL HOHOHOHOHOHO)
Through August 15, 2020, I’ve gone 3,164.2 miles in the year.
That means I’m behind pace by 134.7 miles. BUT, like I said, in 2017 I actually had gone 5,100 miles instead of just 5,000. So discounting those last 100 miles puts me only 34.7 miles behind pace.
Not bad.
HOKAY, so let’s just focus on this year, then. 5000 minus 3164.2 gives me another 1,835.8 miles that I’ve got to walk this year. There are 19 weeks (plus a few extra days) left in the year. That breaks down to about 96 miles a week (discounting those last few days), or an average of about 16.1 miles per day six days a week for the rest of the year.
Could I do that?
I absolutely could.
So if I did exactly 16 miles six days a week for the next 19 weeks, that would get me an additional 1,824, which would leave me with an additional 11.8 miles to do over those last few days of the year. Usually I have troubles getting my full six days per week at the end of the year due to travel, but HAHAHAHA THAT’S NOT HAPPENING THIS YEAR, so this should be an issue.
I could totally do it again, guys.
I’m going to do it again.
More Walking Nonsense
Guys, I am super close to a very big walking goal. Not my 5,000 miles this year (I’ve still got a ways to go for that!), but a walking goal I’ve had since I started working towards when I first moved up here. I suspect I’ll hit it within the next month and a half or so, so expect a big blog post about it then!
But for now…VAGUE GOAL POSTING IS VAGUE
THE OUCH OF THE TOES
Me: You know what would be a fun addition to daily 15-mile walks?
Toes: Don’t say it.
Me: Replacing some of the miles with 13-mile runs!
Toes: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU—
Yeah, they’re angry. I don’t blame them.
Haha, I love how every summer there are at least five blogs dedicated to how much I’ve brutalized my feet.
The Walking: Halfway Through the Year
What is UP, my nerdy turds?
Tomorrow is a “let’s start a brand new pair of Kinvaras” day, which means tonight I’ve downloaded all my walking data for the current set of shoes so that I can add it to the Excel file containing all my walking data since I moved to Calgary in 2014.
I feel like I’ve been more consistent than ever with my “15 miles a day” thing, so I was curious to see how this year compared, so far, with 2017 (my record walking year).
In 2017, I had walked a cumulative total of 2433.19 miles by June 30.
This year, I’ve walked a cumulative total of 2545.84 miles by June 30.
…I’m ahead of 2017’s pace? Not only that, but I’m more than halfway to a cumulative total of 5,000 miles by the middle of the year?
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
Well, now I need to try for it again. I need to try for another 5,000+ mile year. Not only would it be cool to have that total again, but it would be a good way to show everyone who has doubted my ability to repeat 2017’s walking distance that 2017 was not a fluke.
BRING IT ON!
Holey Shirt!
I am notoriously hard on my walking clothes. As an example, here is my walking shirt that I’ve had for a few years:
Yes, those are holes. Yes, they go completely through the fabric. My hand is there for scale. The holes are at/near my lower back due to my backpack rubbing there for 15+ miles almost every day.
My summer walking pants are also really falling apart at the moment. This might be their last season if they can make it through. Then I’ll have to get new ones.
Super exciting, huh?
I Made a Doodad That Ended Up Being Much Less Interesting Than I Thought It Would Be But Whatever
Hi.
So we all know I love walking, right? And stats. I love stats.
So I often like to put those two things together.
One thing I’ve been wanting to do is make one of those “racing totals” visuals where I see how quickly my mileage racks up for each year I’ve been walking up here in Calgary. I can do static visuals fine in something like R, but animated visuals are something that I’ve never really done on my own, so I’ve never been able to make such a visual.
However, I found an editable template of one on Flourish so I decided to give it a try.
The following visual shows my cumulative walking mileage for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 as the year progresses from January 1 to December 31. The year 2014 was excluded because I only moved to Calgary in September of 2014, and the year 2020 was excluded because we’re only in June.
Pretty boring. More boring than I thought it’d be, actually. I thought 2017, 2018, and 2019 would at least skip around in largest total until, like, March or something. But nope. Only through January.
Haha, I like how 2019 was like, “I’m gonna catch you, 2017!” and then July happened.
(I only walked 2,523 miles in 2015 what the hell was wrong with me)
Medals!!!!
Yo, check out this website.
Basically, you find a challenge with a distance you want to complete, set a goal date, log your miles, and if you succeed in your goal, you get a shiny medal!
I wanna do one. ‘Cause we all know I like shiny things.
I’m going to try for the longest distance one (of course I am): The Route 66 Virtual Challenge. I want a pretty medal!
Edit: hahahaha I completely forgot I signed up for this. I logged a grand total of 30.9 miles and it’s May now. Oops. I wonder if they’ll let me do a mega-update?
Eigenblogger 